Whitehead first broke the news Monday that his dog was stolen in an Instagram post and then talked more about the crime in an interview with KXAS-TV in Dallas.

Whitehead, who was in Florida when the dog was stolen along with a couple of pairs of shoes and some bags, said initially that the unknown robbers demanded $10,000 for the return of his dog.

He said the man calling from an unknown phone number asked: "How much does the dog mean to you?" and said that if Whitehead wanted his dog returned, "You got to cut a check." Whitehead said at first he wasn't sure whether the situation was a "sick joke."

He said he refused to write a check for $10,000, but he agreed to pay an undisclosed amount of cash after making sure the dog was OK.

Whitehead said he contacted detectives but was told that the calls and texts couldn't be traced because they came from a "burner phone."

Whitehead said he's had Blitz for nine weeks, and the dog was shipped from San Diego. He said he and Blitz "pretty much went everywhere together" and "hang out all the time."